


I see a future inside your eyes

by smaragdbird



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Pacific Rim, raleigh's fine you hear me pacific rim uprising???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 07:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15456000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: Raleigh's not the only one who never thought about the future until they were closing the Breach.





	I see a future inside your eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [graveExcitement (arachnids)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arachnids/gifts).



Tendo was the first person to greet Raleigh when they made it back to the shatterdome. Mako was being swept up in a bear hug by Hercules who looked completely torn between relief and grief. Tendo on the other hand practically radiated with joy and he embraced Raleigh so tightly he thought he could hear his bones creak.

“You smell horrible”, Tendo grinned and Raleigh laughed and pushed him off.

“You try saving the world and coming out smelling like a field of flowers.”

“I don’t need to try, I’ve already saved the world”, Tendo replied.

“Please, at most you helped.”

“Keep that up Beckett Boy and you won’t get the burger I’ve been saving for you.”

Raleigh’s eyes widened. “I take everything back. You’ve been integral to our survival, Tendo.”

“That’s what a man likes to hear.”

People congratulated Raleigh on the way inside but he didn’t stop to talk to anybody. The other workers respected that since they had been in this fight for as long as he had been. And it would’ve been pretty obvious that he would be hungry after a mission like this. Jaeger pilots usually were.

For a moment Raleigh felt guilty for leaving Mako behind but he also knew that she needed something different right now, after all she was still in his head, always would be.

Tendo made him sit down at the edge of one of the benches while he went and had a quick talk with the cook. It seemed that the meal had already been prepared because Tendo was back within a couple minutes. 

Raleigh couldn’t tell anymore if he had liked burgers or if Yancy had but maybe that didn’t matter anymore. It wasn’t as if Yancy would ever cease to be a part of him. 

“You’re the best”, Raleigh said as he stared at the burger like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“I know”, Tendo grinned and pushed it over to him. He laughed when Raleigh immediately started to wolf it down as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

“What about you?” Raleigh asked when, halfway through his burger, he noticed that Tendo had nothing in front of him but a mug of coffee.

“I’m okay, I’m not the one who went to another universe.” Tendo had meant it as an off-hand kind of comment but as soon as he mentioned the ante-verse Raleigh just kind of froze in his motions. It was probably too soon to joke about it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

Raleigh shook his head and put his burger down. “It wasn’t bad, it was strange there. I can’t really describe it. I had made sure Mako was safe and for the first time since Yancy died it was just me in my head. No one else, not even Mako. We could’ve exploded the payload earlier but I think we both wanted to see what it looked like. That other universe. It was just different, very hazy and orange like smog. Their sun looked like a maelstrom of fire. It was a terrible place but it was also kind of beautiful.” For a moment Raleigh looked lost in thoughts but then he glanced up and gave Tendo a smile. “For the longest time I didn’t mind dying. I thought it was inevitable, really. But when I saw them, I knew I could do both. I could destroy the Breach and I could live.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it back and I’m sure Mako is too.” 

Raleigh looked like he wanted to say something else but couldn’t find the words.

“Eat your burger, before I do it for you”, Tendo said, leaning back. He smiled a little when Raleigh curled a protective hand around his plate and went back to eating.

/

In the evening, there was a party to celebrate that they had cancelled the apocalypse. There were parties everywhere on the planet. The actions of a handful people no one had believed in had averted the end of the world. Even Herc was going and everyone would’ve understood if he had stayed away. If his smiles were a little insincere and he drank a little too much, no one was mentioning it.

“Too much trouble for you?” Tendo asked as he came up behind Raleigh. Of course, Mako had noticed too that Raleigh had gone missing from the party but instead of following him herself she had let Tendo go.

“We sacrificed a lot to get to here”, Raleigh said, leaning on the railing. On the other side of the harbour Hong Kong sparkled like a bouquet of lights. “Yancy…”, he trailed off and shook his head. “I’ll guess he’ll always be in my head.”

“He’d want you to enjoy yourself.”

Raleigh nodded. “I am”, he looked away from the view and directly at Tendo. “What about you?”

“Should’ve brought a coat”, Tendo replied, making a show of rubbing his arms as if he was shivering.

Raleigh laughed and shrugged his own jacket off, draping it around Tendo’s shoulders. “Better?”

“You know how to treat a guy”, Tendo said, slipping his arms into the sleeves of the jacket. It was warm and worn and smelled like Raleigh. 

“Anything for the guy who was smart enough to get me a burger once I saved the world”, Raleigh grinned and nudged Tendo in the ribs before he looked back out over the harbour. “What do you think will happen?”

“Celebrations”, Tendo replied, his hand sweeping over the bay as fireworks exploded. “Then we’ll rebuild. And some day it’ll be as if the Kaiju had never existed.”

“Do you really think we’ll forget them?”

“I hope they’ll forget us.” Tendo shrugged. 

Raleigh nodded, obviously lost in thoughts. Tendo could tell that he was thinking about the ante-verse again. He knew Raleigh and Mako had spent most of the day answering question about it to what was left of the PPDC command and it couldn’t have been pleasant to recall everything they had gone through again and again.

“What will you do?” Tendo asked to get him onto other thoughts. “You’re technically jobless now.”

“So are you”, Raleigh said, the serious expression gone from his face. “I at least have work experience as a workman.”

“Guess I could restart my criminal career”, Tendo said nonchalantly.

Raleigh raised his eyebrows.

Tendo threw him a grin. “We all have a past.”

“Fair enough”, Raleigh said with a tilt of his head. “Well, I guess we can do whatever we want now. I’ve always thought about going to Europe. Heard all of their coastal towns are intact. Can you imagine?”

“I thought about asking you out on a date”, Tendo said without looking at him. Instead he was gazing out at the harbour as if he had just been talking about the weather.

“That doesn’t sound like it’s a new idea.”

“It’s not. I’ve thought about it since Anchorage.”

“You never said anything”, Raleigh replied, trying to copy Tendo’s nonchalance.

“I’ve watched 23 Jaeger pilots die on my watch”, Tendo said. “You could’ve easily been number 24.”

Raleigh had lost enough people to know how Tendo felt. Still he was alive now and the world was safe. Or at least as safe as it ever was going to get. “And now?” He took Tendo’s hand and tangled their fingers together, feeling the beads of the rosary wrapped around Tendo’s wrist against his skin.

“Like you said we can do whatever we want now.” Tendo turned his head and gave Raleigh a slow, sweet smile. The lights from the harbour softened the lines of his face and Raleigh wondered for a moment if he was looking at the Tendo from the past or from the future.

“And if I wanted to kiss you?”

“I like that idea.”

“Good.”


End file.
